Topic: Political parties

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

8th‑grade primary school student.

Core curriculum:

XI. Democracy in the Republic of Poland.

The student:

4) (...) presents the goals of political parties and shows that they compete in public life; finds information on the activities of a selected party (its regional or central structures).

The general aim of education:

The student justifies the importance of democratic procedures.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• explains what a political party is.

• presents the role of political parties in the political system.

• lists what political parties cannot be registered in Poland and explains why.

• distinguishes all the political groups in the Polish parliament and describes briefly their political programmes.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences.

Teaching methods:

• source material analysis,

• drama,

• teaching conversation using recording, infographics, interactive schemes and exercises.

Forms of work:

• self‑learning,

• group work,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access,

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook,

• interactive whiteboard/blackboard, felt‑tip pen/a piece of chalk.

Lesson plan overview (Process):

Introduction:

1. The teacher presents the goal of the lesson: You will find out what the role of political parties in a political system is, and what parties are currently active in Poland.

2. The teacher informs the students that in a moment they will listen to a recording of the fragment of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland from the abstract “Political parties”. He asks the students to write down as much information from the recording as they can, and most of all, to decide what sphere of public life the recording concerns. After playing the recording the teacher asks the students, what they were able to write down. A selected student writes the information of the boar. If necessary, the teacher supplements the information. He may also play the recording one more time.

Implementation:

1. The teacher displays the interactive widget “The functions of a political party” on the interactive board. The widget names all the functions of a political party. The teacher asks the students to define, what, in their opinion, each function consists in. Then willing/selected students write the suggestions on the board and the rest of the students may supplement and correct it. In order to verify the information the teacher displays the correct answers on the scheme one by one.

2. The teacher asks the students to familiarize themselves with the infographics “Mandates’ distribution in the Sejm by political parties, 15.02.2018”. The he divides the class into five groups and assigns each group with the most numerous political groups/parties present in the Polish Sejm. The teacher informs the students that their task will be to impersonate the members of the party and answer some questions posed by a journalist in line with the political programme of the party they are representing. The students, to prepare to the conversation, are allowed to use the internet and other sources of information. A groups has to choose a different person to answer each question. The teacher sets up the time to learn about the given party political programme.

3. The teacher, putting himself in the role of the journalist, asks the “political groups” to express their views on subjects relevant to contemporary political debate. After a short consultation time, the group representative presents the party views in a couple of sentences.

4. The students do exercise 1, where they have to arrange political parties into appropriate ideologies they represent.

Summary:

1. At the end of the class, the teacher asks the students questions:

• What did you find important and interesting in class?

• What was easy and what was difficult?

• How can you use the knowledge and skills you have gained today?

Willing/selected students summarize the lesson.

2. Homework proposal:

a. Why do you think the Constitution mentions certain limitations of the right to association and creation of political parties? Analyze article 13 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and write, where the limitations come from and if they are justified and necessary in your opinion.

b. Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise at the end of the chapter.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Political parties

Political parties are social organizations whose main goal is to gain power, because only then can they implement their program, that is, change the state and reality according to their own concept. This is why we do not consider political parties to be non‑governmental organizations. Find out, what the Polish Constitution states about political parties. Listen to the recording or read the extract from the Constitution yourself.

Political parties have a number of various functions: electoral, governing, opinion‑forming, articulatory, creative and organisational functions. Look at the infographics below to study each of the functions closer.